Autumn Gloria (Small Study)

For the beauty of the earth,

For the glory of the skies;

For the love which from our birth,

Over and around us lies;

Lord of all,

to Thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise!

~Folliott S. Pierpoint

"Autumn Gloria" (Small Study)

8"x10" oil on canvas $55+s/h

Japanese Tea Garden Koi (Small Study)

My original photo for this small study was taken in the Japanese Tea Garden of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. We were blessed by a lovely, sunny (!) March day and enjoyed a walk through the Japanese Tea Garden. I remember being slightly disappointed that we were missing all the Spring color that would be present in the flowering trees had we been there a few weeks later, but the koi certainly didn't disapoint with their jewel-like tones.

For Asian cultures, koi are good luck signs in business and life. I have read that there is even a blue version of koi, and I will be on the lookout now. I'm tempted to paint a much larger version of this - the colors were so fun, with the lighting and water almost giving an abstract effect to the painting.

"Japanese Tea Garden Koi" (Small Study)

8"x10" oil on canvas $55+s/h (tax if applicable)

A Tree Of Life

In a mood to paint something whimsical and fun, I decided to paint my own version of a "Tree of Life" and fill it with symbols that were meaningful to me. This marks a return to a style I used when I was much younger and did far less realistic paintings and drawings. In that sense, I allowed myself to be more creative and less literal.

The hardest part may have been choosing what to put on the branches of my tree of life. Each item has a special meaning, of which I will give you only the basics so you can participate by filling in your own connections as you view it.

Here is a list of a few of the items and what they represent:

• Hummingbird - "timeless joy & the nectar of life"
• Morning Glory - "affection" & "resurrection"
• Dove - "peace"
• Snail - "perseverance & determination"
• Apple - "Old and New Testaments"
• Pear - "Christ's love for all of mankind"

The "tree of life" is mentioned several times in the Bible. According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "the tree of life became a common poetic simile to represent that which may be a source of great blessing."

I kept thinking my painting wasn't finished so I painted until I could go no further. I'm still not entirely sure why I added the word "hope" but thought it was interesting to discover after the fact (Really! Completely unintentional!) that Proverbs 13:12 reads: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

"A Tree of Life"
18"x24" oil on canvas, gallery wrapped

Footbridge on the Path to Ninian's Cave

I love doing commissions that capture a specific time and place for the individual I am painting for because I know they will look at it when it is finished and it will take them back into a special memory and place. I'm so glad to be able to do that for them. This particular travel photo was taken on a footpath on the way to St. Ninian's cave in Scotland.

Thankfully, the person I painted it for was very patient because it took a long time for me to know exactly how I was going to execute all this...GREEN. I wanted to achieve a balance because if I painted it all green it would lose character, but if I took out too much green it would lose it's Scottish-ness. I reached back to my childhood and remembered what it was like exploring various footpaths in the English countryside and how that was one of my earliest memories of adventure on untrodden paths. As a child the sudden appearance of a creek or little bridge was exciting and to this day, there is something that enchants me when I see water flowing over rocks.

"Path to St. Ninian's Cave"

11"x14" oil on canvas, private collection

Trois Plus Un (Small Study)

Every year about this time, I start to be a little sad that the summer fruits are on their way out and our selection will turn to the year round varieties...not that they are so bad in and of themselves...but I do miss the fresh berries, plums, nectarines and peaches. Summer fruit salads are like being given permission to have dessert with dinner. The endless combinations are more fun than the fall/winter versions, in my opinion.

At first I thought I might need to highlight the Three Plus One...Plum a little more, but I kind of like it as an "afterlook" so that's the way I left it.

"Trois Plus Un" (Small Study)

8"x10" oil on canvas, $55 + s/h (tax when applicable)

Around the Bend (Journeys Series #4)

"Around the Bend" is part of a continuing series I'm doing on roads and journeys. Something about roads grabs me and makes me feel all philosophical. I painted this from a photo we snapped when a car full of kids and I were driving home on County Road 257 from Galveston one morning this summer. A tropical storm was entering the Gulf and the clouds were a fascinating contrast from one side to the other. It seemed that what was around the bend was pretty menacing, but once we came around, it wasn't nearly as bad as we had anticipated.

"Around the Bend - Journey Series #4"

10"x20" oil on canvas

"When I left...my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does. It has a fascination of its own, that bend, Marilla."

~Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Rosita's Bridge, San Antonio (Small Study)

A friend of mine recently started watercolor painting and had painted a picture of Rosita's Bridge on the Riverwalk at LaVillita in San Antonio. This reminded me that I had a file of reference photos of my own trips to San Antonio and I was inspired to do this small study. In the past, I've walked by this area which features a stage on the right side and outside seating on the left (not seen here).

If you continue up and to the left you can visit a very charming shopping and arts area known as La Villita Historic Arts Village which pays homage to San Antonio's first established neighborhood. We happened upon it during our last trip and were pleasantly surprised at all the quaint shops and welcoming shopowners combined with some wonderful San Antonio history.

"Rosita's Bridge" (Small Study)
8"x10" oil on canvas, SOLD

Peanut Butter Jelly Time - Small Study

My goodness, life has been busy and I have gone 3 weeks without painting! Aaarrghh. I needed to do a little warm up before I started back on some of my larger, long term works and wasn't quite sure what subject matter to choose. Around lunchtime, I decided to have some fun and make myself the kind of peanut butter jelly sandwich I would've eaten as a child (before we had any idea at all about grams of fat per tablespoon): lots of peanut butter and lots of jelly (with a tall glass of ice cold milk - definitely not my usual diet!) Sometimes, I wish I was still a kid so I could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich everyday, that's how much I like them. Some people like to go light on the peanut butter and heavy on the jelly, or maybe the other way around. Several members of my family add bananas (for extra nutritional value?) There are lots of versions out there. Didn't Elvis like his fried? I usually don't use white bread, but I decided that I needed to make it on white bread for the sake of my artwork. Oh, the sacrifices we artists make! My sister called while I was working and asked what I was painting. She kind of paused like she wasn't sure what to say to that, but artists enjoy most painting the things we love. Can you tell that I love PBandJ by looking at this painting? I hope so.

"Peanut Butter Jelly Time" Small Study

8x10 oil on canvas, NFS

"Hunger of the mind and spirit is as strong as hunger of the belly."

~Camille Pissarro

Nanny's Vase (Small Study)

There's something about the way glass and crystal reflects the light and catches my eye. Same goes for clear water in streams. For a long time now, I've wanted to try my hand at painting crystal so when I had this beautiful bouquet of roses on my counter in a very special vase (pink roses "Belinda's Dream" and red roses "Oklahoma"), I thought a small study would be a good start. I knew it wouldn't be easy to capture the colors and design of the crystal.

The vase is one that I picked up a long time ago from a family friend and avid collector of treasures and garage sale finds whom we called "Nanny." Nanny took great relish in her garage sale discoveries and was known to give you a good deal on an item when she re-sold it if she thought you loved it as much as she did. I believe she might have even raised the price if she thought you didn't love the object as much as she did! I bought this at a time when the family budget was tight and it definitely wasn't on the list of household necessities. I think Nanny knew that because she gave me a bargain. I swear the flowers look even more lovelier when I pull out this vase to hold them.

I look forward to trying my brush at more glass and crystal. I can't offer this one up for purchase as it was snatched up before I could get it posted.

"Nanny's Vase"
8"x10" oil on canvas, SOLD

An aside: If you don't have an Oklahoma rose, do yourself a favor and go out and get one! Heaven scented!!

Cook's Garden at Chateau Chenonceau

The Cook's Garden at Chateau Chenonceau in France is a commission that I recently completed and wanted to share with you. The client I painted it for had a beautiful selection of vacation photos from her trip and wanted to commemorate her journey with a painting for her house.

These types of commissions are very much a combined effort between myself and the client because often I am trying to capture the feeling of a place I've never been before and the client has their own special memories they want to capture.

I knew, when I saw her photo, that I definitely wanted to paint it. Who could resist?! I completely lost myself in this garden as I worked on it over many weeks. Sometimes, I had to shake myself out of it and come back to my little painting corner. It was a joy. I do know that after painting it, I hope I someday have the privilege of journeying there myself. I wonder if I will walk into the garden and feel a special connection after having studied it for so long?

I always feel honored when someone asks me to create a visual reminder of a special memory of a time and place in their life.

"The Cook's Garden at Chateau Chenonceau, France"
30"x30" oil on canvas, private collection

Green In Gruene (small study)

I snapped a photo of this barn after we strolled down Hunter Road in Gruene, Texas. My reference photo captures the lush green of early summer. I loved the way the old oak frames the barn across the street. I took the artistic liberty of adding the tire swing as an afterthought.

It is our tradition to always save enough time and energy after visiting Schlitterbahn to make our way to Gruene and the Grist Mill River Restaurant which overlooks the Guadalupe River. As stated on the town website, Gruene has been "gently resisting change since 1872." We usually walk off our dinner with a stroll through the historic town and pick up chocolate covered raisins at the Gruene General Store with it's old time Soda Fountain. Then everyone piles back into the car and falls asleep while dad drives home.

Next time we visit, I think I need to take a photo inside the soda fountain. That would be a fun painting.

"Green in Gruene"
8"x10" oil on canvas
(small study) sold

Happy Spring!

Do you think I got a little carried away by all the colors in this small study? Oh well, it was fun and I was "Spring dreaming." Recent sunshine-y weather has me wanting to get out and plant flowers. I always dream of having a garden like this, but alas, I'm sure I wouldn't want to take time away from painting to take care of it. I'm glad I can have fun and get carried away with the brush (without the weeds!)

Once the heat and humidity arrives, the thought of staying inside with the a/c becomes more attractive than the idea of tending the flowers anyway. I think I'll stick with the brush.

Cottage Dreams (small study)
8"x10" oil on canvas
Private Collection

Leftovers (small study)

I happened across a picture of an old homestead and decided to use the leftover paint on my palette for this small study. I chose the title "Leftovers" because of the leftover paint, and then because of the fact that these old buildings and homes that I see as we drive out in the country remind me of leftovers. I wonder what stories they would tell "if walls could talk." I suppose some might find the term leftovers depressing, but not me. I'm not sure why I find them so endearing, but they seem to be representative of a different time and era in history that speaks to my family heritage, I suppose.

"Leftovers"
8"x10" oil on linen
Small Study $55+s/h

Donkey Love (Small Study)

I have a friend who graciously forwarded some fun pictures of her horses and donkeys and this little donkey couple was just too cute to resist. I am fortunate to have many friends who are kind about sharing their photos with me. That is an enormous asset as an artist.

Another painter friend of mine has been encouraging me to start working on small studies and I've finally decided to follow through. Small studies are often done with the intention of completing a painting in a single day. Many artists these days are participating in this "painting a day" approach. While I have no desire to do a painting a day, it's good practice and very liberating because the whole goal (in my mind anyway) is to be less formal and restrictive and more creative and experimental. Even the brush strokes are more loose as I keep reminding myself to have fun with the brush and not over think any particular area of the painting. They are a welcome break from some of my long-term, planned commissions and larger works and should be easy to work in when I need a break from a more intense project.

As such, they are a great opportunity to own an original work of art at a reasonable price. I will be selling these small studies (8"x10"s) for $55 +s/h.

Donkey Love - SOLD

8"x10" oil on canvas

$55+s/h

"Let It Rain"

First of all, thank you for all the great title suggestions. You sure did not make it easy for me to decide. I really liked the deceptive simplicity of "Let It Rain," but wasn't sold on it until I read this interpretation:

"Although the barn design definitely sets the scene in the USA, the mood reminds me of time spent in southern Iran when the countryside is waiting expectantly for the first rains after the hot dry summer. I can almost feel the heat from those bright reds in the foreground. I thought of parched dusty grasses - the kind that rub the skin and itch, and I have memories of kids shoes covered in dust. Against that are the towering dark clouds – threatening thunderstorms: storms that will bring long awaited cooling, nourishing and reviving rains. Again, I can see those first raindrops splattering up the dust, turning the foreground to a mud and releasing a cool rich smell . . ."

As an artist, the thought that I could inspire beautiful words like that, makes me want to jump up and down! Prior to receiving this, I had started plans to revise the painting because even as the artist, I wasn't sure I was getting the message across. These words captured in writing exactly what I was trying to capture in colors.

As you can see, I think I found the perfect temporary home for it, viewed from an archway. Even though it's still for sale, I'm liking it quite a bit right where it is so I'm in no hurry!I'm also including a picture for you of where "Let It Rain" was supposed to hang (the big wall in the small room) and what is there now. This diptych was a departure for me as it was painted entirely in acrylic and was strictly done as a design element - like a giant doodle. I painted and played and didn't worry and fuss. It's a completely different experience when you are painting from a design perspective because there are different things to consider. It complements the room without demanding attention as the other did.

Thank you again for your titling help and, as always, I love hearing about what kinds of things you think about when you see a piece of my art.

"Barn Storm" - (Need titling help!)

Our home has a very large wall in an otherwise small room that has been begging for a painting so I decided to paint this barn that I snapped a photo of as we drove by. As you can see, I had fun getting carried away with the colors and my own ideas for the landscape and playing with contrasts. At 3'x4', this is a rather imposing picture, as I found out when I went to hang it up in the small room it was intended for. I absolutely love it, but this painting demands way too much attention and knocks the whole room off balance. I should've known better as I often paint pictures for people based on the room where it will hang and I totally missed it for my own home. Duh. I'm glad it wasn't for a client! Alas, I had to paint something else for the room, but that's ok - I had a blast with this one. I guess it will be looking for a home where it can be a focal point.

Only thing is, I can't seem to think of a title. Every now and then I draw a blank and I figured it's been awhile since I've asked my readers for help. Please email if you have a title recommendation for me.

"Untitled Barn, Before (or after?) a Storm"
3'x4' oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

Cozy Kitties

It doesn't seem possible that I haven't posted a painting since last November. (I need to do better!)

This painting is a keepsake for a family member whose cat, Romeo, passed away late last year. She had the cutest picture of him sitting on the couch with his sister, Sassy, and this is the composition we came up with. I love the way their legs are all entwined, sharing their spot on a cuddly throw perched on the couch.

"Sassy & Romeo"

11"x13" oil on canvas